Milo Greyson

Our descent from the twenty-fifth to the twenty-fourth floor was a bit of an issue. While the upper level had been devoid of any living prisoners, this one was not, and that could raise some issues. Roughly half of the cells were open, clearly the executions due to Towerfall had already begun, but not completed. All the guards were similarly gone, but there were no signs of fighting.

I could sense the fear rolling off of Thana behind me as I stalked down the hall, trying to look like I was in full control of the situation. If we appeared normal, perhaps these men wouldn't try to sell out our presence for their lives. If they knew what was going on, they would for sure try to, doubt it would work regardless.

“Eyes forward, and keep that thing in line,” I said harshly. I'd had to take such a tone often with prisoners, and so I treated her like one that was being disciplined now. It would work better in the long run.

“Yes sir,” she squeaked, and I was unable to tell if I'd actually surprised her or not; excellent.

I watched every crevice, regretting that I had not developed much in the way of training my senses. The people here were cowering at the back of their cells, some hiding as we passed. One looked out though, and met my eyes.

“You there, have there been any signs of monsters on this floor?” I asked.

“You gonna slit my throat if I tell you to fuck off?” He returned.

“No, but if there is you might be dissolved alive in your cell. Not the way I'd choose to go. If there is I might be inclined to do something about it.”

“That where all the guards went?' He asked.

“Answer my question prisoner,” I said, brushing him off there.

“No, nothing I've seen. Wait, please, you guys gonna finish what you started?” I could feel the fear in the last question.

“I hope not, but it's beyond my power to make that call. Try praying, it might just save you,” as I finished talking I turned and left, the girl trailing behind.

We didn't say another word until we'd reached the staircase, as we descended she spoke.

“Why did they seem so scared of me? Aren't you the scary one?” She asked.

“... your perception of things is all wrong. What did you know about casters before you were one?” I asked.

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“That they were rare and could kill you and all your friends,” she squinted as she spoke, trying to think that far back.

“Precisely, most of these people are used to priests and the like, but someone like you out and free? Terrifying.” It was hard to make explanations while keeping my tone the same.

“You don't act like that, none of the guards do,” she said.

“I know what you are, and as you said, I'm the scary one. Now, eyes straight, we need to know what we're dealing with.”

I slowly walked the same route on the next floor, not speaking, not answering any of the questions a few other prisoners dared to ask. All of them were scared, and rightly so, it looked like the culling had been interrupted at various points by all the guards getting called up. Ostensibly to deal with the ongoing riot and roving slimes.

Only one other runner passed us, and he was going at speed. The fact that we took the side halls meant that he didn't see us, and with how hard he was going, he didn't hear us either. All in all it was going well. At least until we reached the stairwell to twenty-two.

As we were going down, a unit of men was coming up, looked to be about ten, hard to see as they were all packed in. They hesitated as they saw us, and one stepped forward. We could try to fight them, but it wasn't a winning move. Our best move now was to hide among the guards, if we could, and could find some manner to escape, that would be ideal. The symbol necklace, the fact that I'd taken the lead all led up to this moment.

“Explain,” the man simply said, I recognized him from a few of the meetings and trainings, but didn't know his name.

“We came down from thirty, through the back stairs. Monsters got into the stairwell there and rather than try to fight them all the way down I decided it would be best to pass through the floors. There's a riot up there, we were going through The Room of Judgment about the time it started. I managed to seal the door there and we certainly need help, but all the guards on these floors are missing.”

“I was talking about the abomination at your back,” he growled.

“I managed to take control of it from a necromancer up there,” Thana said quietly.

“I was not asking you, do not speak out of turn again,” the other guard said coldly. I saw her wince and bow her head a little, but otherwise kept quiet.

“It is as she said,” I confirmed after he'd had a moment.

“Hmm, I am going to cast a spell, neither of you resist,” he said.

As a presumed act of good faith, Milo tossed over the anti-magic shackles, which would have served as a protection had he kept them. The paladin smiled a bit at that, happy for the move.

He pulled out a scroll and uttered a small prayer. I felt the magic flow over me, and as instructed I let it pass. It appeared Thana did the same while clenching her fists in worry, as we weren't attacked.

“Girl answer me, did you truly pass through The Room of Judgment?”

“Yes sir, it was an ordeal, but I survived,” she said.

“Did you create that undead?”

“No sir, I'm incapable of such things.”

“Did you participate in the riot?”

“No sir,”

“Do you bear ill will towards anyone in this building?”

“I don't like many people, but I don't want to kill anyone here if I can avoid it.”

“Have you ever used magic against the guard here? Or blackmailed him, or manipulated him?”

“I have tried to get him to be nicer to me, and once got him to close the outer door to my cell when I wanted privacy and needed to use the chamber pot. I haven't cast any spells on him though, or anything malevolent.”

“What are your motivations right now?”

“Survival and being free,”

“Guardsmen,” he said turning to me. “Do her answers comport with what you know?”

“Yes,”

“What kind of monster was in the stairwell?”

“I'm not entirely sure, some kind of black puddle... thing.”

Both of our answers had been true, but she'd managed to deceive him none the less. That seemed to calm the man significantly, and I could see his muscles, previously tensed for battle, loosen. It occurred to me that I really should be paying more attention to her so I wasn't tricked.

“The only problem is the undead. I can't believe you kept it,” he said as the magic faded, the feeling slipping away.

“I'm not thrilled with it either, but we needed more help, and it can be destroyed later,” I explained.

“That's not a terrible argument, but it will lead the charge next time we meet an opponent; to make sure of it.” The way he said that made it clear that wasn't an argument. “As for now, I still have concerns, but those can wait until after we've survived this. Lead on, we need to head back to join the battle against the rioters, and whatever beasts are still wandering around.”

Well, that wasn't what I wanted, but at least we weren't attacked as the group of soldiers followed behind, not willing to give us their backs as we headed back into the fray.